Press Releases

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board will meet by teleconference at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 22. The board will consider license applications that are deemed complete and submitted by Oct. 1.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper joined United States Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to announce new funding through the Department of Energy to enhance North Carolina’s electrical grid and increase capacity for renewable energy storage. They were joined by N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth Biser and other officials as they announced the second round of funding through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program at the Duke Energy facility in Garner.

The North Carolina Mining Commission will meet at 1 p.m. on August 13, 2024, in Raleigh. The public is invited to attend in person or online.

On Monday, August 5, a days-old wild horse, and resident of the Rachel Carson Reserve, was seen exhibiting signs of extreme distress. Paula Gillikin, NCDEQ Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve site manager for the Rachel Carson Reserve, observed and examined the female foal at the Reserve. After consulting with the Reserve’s local equine veterinarian, the Division subsequently moved the horse from the Reserve for further examination and treatment.

The N.C. DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program sank a tugboat, Thomas Dann, on Aug 1 at AR-305, off Cape Lookout.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will hold a special meeting August 6 by web conference to review fiscal analyses associated with permanent rulemaking. Members of the public may join by computer or phone.

MOREHEAD CITY – Advisories against swimming were posted today at two sound-side sites in Beaufort County where state officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.

NOTE: Please note the meeting location has been changed to the 5th Floor Conference Room in the Archdale Building.

Want to know what the latest data says about Spotted Seatrout, Blue Crab or Southern Flounder in North Carolina? Find out by reading the DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries’ (DMF) 2023 Fishery Management Plan Review, released today.

Due to continued public interest, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) has received an extension from NOAA to conclude the division’s review of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources federal consistency submission regarding the proposed amendments to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule (“speed rule”). The comment period was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. on July 31 but has now been extended until 5 p.m. on Aug. 31.

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials today lifted a water quality swimming advisory for a sound-side swimming area in New Hanover County.

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials today lifted a precautionary swimming advisory in Oak Island. The advisory was lifted because floodwaters have receded, and pumping has ceased.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recommended local health departments in the areas surrounding Lake Gaston lift recreational and fish consumption advisories for the Roanoke River near the North Carolina state line.

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials today advised beachgoers to be aware of the floodwaters being pumped to the ocean surf in Oak Island. Surfers and swimmers should avoid these sites.